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  • WDCH
  • KIROV ORCHESTRA PERFORMS WORKS BY RUSSIAN AND FINNISH COMPOSERS UNDER THE BATON OF VALERY GERGIEV
  • Apr. 12, 2005
  • Program Features Leonidas Kavakos Performing Sibelius' Violin Concerto

    TUESDAY, APRIL 12, AT 8 PM

    Concert Generously Sponsored by Acura

    The Kirov Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, under the baton of Valery Gergiev, performs at Walt Disney Concert Hall on Tuesday, April 12, at 8 PM. The program includes works by the Russian composers Borodin, Mussorgsky, and Prokofiev, as well the Violin Concerto by Finnish composer Sibelius. Violinist Leonidas Kavakos is the featured soloist.

    In 1996, Valery Gergiev was named Artistic and General Director of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, home to the Kirov Opera, the Kirov Ballet and the Kirov Orchestra. The orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre (now the Kirov Orchestra), founded in the eighteenth century, enjoys a distinguished history as one of Russia's oldest musical organizations. Gergiev dedicates much of his time to conducting the compositions of his fellow Russian countrymen. Valery Gergiev leads the Kirov Orchestra at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in the Russian works: Symphony No. 2 by Borodin, Prokofiev's Symphony No. 2, and Mussorgsky's Prelude to Khovanshchina.

    Under conductor VALERY GERGIEV's leadership, St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre has become one of the most celebrated and recorded opera companies in the world. In 1978 the Moscow native took up a conducting post at the Kirov (Mariinsky), and in 1988 was elected Artistic Director of the company. In 1996 the Russian government appointed him Artistic and General Director of the Mariinsky Theatre. Throughout his tenure he has included important operas by Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich, as well as Stravinsky's ballets, in the repertory. Gergiev's numerous titles and awards attest to his status as a cultural hero in Russia; recently, he was named People's Artist of Russia by President Vladimir Putin. Gergiev has been Principal Guest Conductor with the Metropolitan Opera since 1997. He also serves as Principal Conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and has conducted the world's major opera companies and orchestras. Gergiev has established several festivals, including the Stars of the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg, the Rotterdam Philharmonic's Gergiev Festival, the Mikkeli Festival in Finland, the Peace for the Caucasus Festival, and the Moscow Russian Easter Festival.

    LEONIDAS KAVAKOS is one of today's most sought-after violinists. A winner of major prizes, his exceptional gifts and music-making have made him in great demand with orchestras all over the world. He is an eloquent, virtuoso performer whether in concert, recital or chamber music, and on recordings which have led critics on a quest for superlatives. One of his latest CDs on BIS Records was declared "the finest recording yet of the Ysaÿe sonatas" by Classic CD, while his other, Viennese Rhapsody of the works of Fritz Kreisler, has also been critically acclaimed. Highlights of recent seasons included the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in Philadelphia and at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole with the Indianapolis Symphony, Bartok No. 2 with the Cincinnati Symphony, and performances with the National Symphony in Washington D.C., the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Phoenix Symphony, the Seattle Symphony and the Vancouver Symphony.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2005 AT 8 PM

    Walt Disney Concert Hall

    111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

    Kirov Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre

    Valery Gergiev, conductor

    Leonidas Kavakos, violin

    MUSSORGSKY Khovanshchina Prelude

    PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 2

    SIBELIUS Violin Concerto

    BORODIN Symphony No. 2

    Concert generously sponsored by Acura

    Tickets ($15 - $125) are on sale now at the Walt Disney Concert Hall box office, online at LAPhil.com, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. When available, choral bench seats ($15), will be released for sale to selected Philharmonic, Colburn Celebrity Recital, and Baroque Variations performances beginning at noon on the Tuesday of the second week prior to the concert. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall box office two hours prior to the performance. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person; cash only. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For all information, please call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Adam Crane: 213.972.3422; photos: 213.972.3034